Why So Few Moonstone Interiors?

Certain textures likely have a minimum thickness requirement.
Don't recall the brand I used. Could just be a noname off Amazon, and I only used it on small, nearly flat parts. It was thicker than Contact paper. That doesn't have textures, but does have many colors and prints. How the glue holds up under the heat of a car interior is a question, but another option for those willing to experiment.

 

Yes, durability is something I have to consider. I initially thought about covering with Plastidip type of removable paint, but at least with a car wrap, as long as the parts I want to wrap is removable I can do it at comfort of inside. No toxic fume, no mess, and it does not require dust free environment. I have no room in the garage to work, so any paint job would have to be on my driveway.

 

Just found some posts on a BMW and Vette forum on using the clear shelf liner(Con-Tact is the brand most known) as temporary bras. Users say it came off without leaving a residue.

have plans for the kitchen. I'll stick a couple pieces inside the Camry whenever that happens.

 

Thanks for the info. It maybe cheaper alternative to specialty automobile wrap. For interior wrap, all I wanted was to cover the shiny piano black with something less reflective and hopefully does not show dust as prominently. Now I know how easy it is to remove all the plastic parts inside, I can do it next time much quicker.

 

That's what I used. It was fairly thick, but I didn't compare it to other brands.

 

I ordered sample pieces of 3M 2080, Oracal 975, and VViViD+. Oracal is definitely the thickest. The specs are 6 mil for Oracal 975, 3.5 mil for 3M 2080 and 3.9 mil for VViViD+.

 

Just to update. I finished wrapping the center console cup holder using the remaining pieces of Oracal 975 material. Since the shape is complex 3D, I had to wrap it with 4 different overlapping pieces. I could not remove the 12v outlet port, and stretching the wrap around it made some wrinkles, but it is at hard to see spot, so I am not too concerned.


For now, I am finished with the Delete Piano Black project. I covered all the piano black pieces except the steering wheel panels. I don't think those pieces come off easily. I may try wrapping them in place later. There are still some shiny chrome trims I also want to delete, but I will wait on that project.

 

Nice job! Coincidentally, I'm between coats on plastidipping my wife's dash. The vinyl wasn't working well at all. I discovered that it's not very hard to totally disassemble the dash panel. Quite a few parts, though. I think the hardest part was the vents that you mentioned earlier that have 10 clips to undo almost simultaneously. It's nearly time for a second coat and it's already a million times better than the vinyl. Pix when I'm done.

 

Was your vinyl peeling off? That is my concern about my work as well. I don't know how durable the wrap is for the long term especially in heat of summer and freezing cold of winter. Fortunately, as you discovered, it is not very hard to remove the panel and totally strip off the switches and vents. The only switch I could not remove was the 12v port. So painting is another option. I just don't have space to do that type of work. Looking forward to seeing your finished product.

 

Yeah, but only where I had to stretch it around concave curves. Worst offender was bottom right from the AC controls. Pix to follow.

 

I realized that there is another small piano black panel on the left side of the steering wheel. For completeness sake, I wrapped this piece as well. Now, the only interior piano black pieces left on my car are on the steering wheel. I checked to see if they would come off, but I don't think they are snap-on type. There is no "give" like other panels I removed. If I really want to complete the Piano Black Delete, I would have to wrap them in place.

 

Reminds me why are there so few yellow cars?

 

The plastidipped dash is all done on wifey's '17 Prius. I think it came out way better than my wrap attempt. I'll have to try that on the Prime when I get a chance. Maybe red to match the body and accent the black & white interior?


The vinyl wrap was pulling off in the concave areas and had bad wrinkles elsewhere.




After three coats of matte black and then re-assembling everything I took off.





Ready to go for a ride. There's a bit of a pebbled texture to the plastidip that doesn't exactly match the fake leather look of the rest of the dash, but it does look like it belongs. (What looks like blemishes around the start button are actually reflections off the chrome ring.)

Note on that sun screen. It was one I bought for her Gen 2 that was clearly made for a Gen 3. Seller insisted it was correct even though it flat would not go behind the rear view mirror. My wife is a magician with a sewing machine. She trimmed and hemmed it to fit her 2007. Turns out that the mod made it also just the right hight for the Gen 4, but a little wide. Now it's a perfect fit.

 

Wow, that looks very clean. Now seeing that, if my vinyl starts to peel off like yours, I may go for the Plastidip route next time. How many cans did it take? It may be more cost-effective than the wrap.

 

It was well under one can for three coats plus some experimenting on scrap before the project.

Edit to add. The only drawback was trying to avoid dust and lint. But, thankfully, the plastidip is thick enough that it would only show if it stuck to the final coat before it skimmed over.

 

That is much cheaper than vinyl. ~$7 for a can of Plastidip vs ~$15 for 1.5'x5' for regular vinyl. I used premium textured vinyl, so the price was actually more than ten times. Let me know how durable the Plastidip finish is for everyday use.

Yeah, I don't have a dust-free painting room. In fact, if I do it, it has to be done on my driveway. I can attempt it only on the perfect weather day. No wind, no rain or snow, no pollen, no falling leaves, no bugs, and no cat hair. Hmmm, I wonder how many days out of a year I have a day like that???

 

Saw that Rustoleum has a 'dip' base coat out to maketheir regular paint peelable.

 

If I just want permanent change and never want to go back to OEM look, just a regular paint would be fine, wouldn't it?

 

It should be. Probably want to use a primer meant for plastic; specially on the glossy material.

 

I picked up this spray paint a few months ago for painting some plastic crates I use outdoor. No surface prep like sanding or priming necessary.